Grow what consumers want! Surveys show that blue is one of the top preferred colors of today’s consumers. Here are twelve top recommended blue flowering Proven Winners annuals and perennials to suit your spring production cycle.

Bruce Knox’s first experience with West Auctions’ online capabilities came when he watched the public sale of another grower operation. "I had followed one of their auctions in California," says Knox, president of Knox Nursery in Florida. "I had one of my truck drivers go to pick up and he said that everything sold. Everything!" Knox decided to use West Auctions when he had to get rid of equipment from his original location that was closing and being consolidated into another facility. He chose an online auction because he didn’t want to limit the number of people who could participate. Roughly 100 companies signed up for the Knox online auction, which improved Bruce’s chances of getting better prices for the equipment. For The People The beauty of an online auction is the accessibility, says Daniel West, the general manager of West Auctions, Woodland, Calif. Growers have specialized items that only […]

In an effort to better serve its greenhouse customers, Polygal Inc., a world leader in technology and manufacture of polycarbonate multi-wall and corrugated greenhouse coverings, is expanding its greenhouse covering line to include polyethylene Polyheilos films. With this introduction, Polygal will able to offer the greenhouse distributor and OEM a broad range of greenhouse cover products from one basket. New Films For Light Control The new Polyheilos films are proven multi-layer technology, durable and long lasting. The films offer a selection of solar energy, transparency and thermal insulation and are economically priced. Polyheilos films’ light diffusion characteristics greatly improve photosynthesis efficiency by improving light dispersion, which is especially important for self-shading, tall and trellised plants. In addition, an anti-drip additive in selected films raises the surface tension of the film to improve light transmission and prevent water dripping on plants, which reduces the incidence of disease. About The Company Manufacturer […]

Many affordable controllers add settings like DIF and night set-back. A controller does not have to be elaborate or complicated to save you money and improve your crop quality. It does not have to control every operation of the greenhouse to be effective. Replacing thermostats with a simple controller that handles only the heating and cooling will save you energy and improve your crops. Many affordable controllers add settings like DIF, night set-back, humidity control and curtain control and still stay price competitive with thermostats. Single Temperature Reading One of the greatest cost savings that a controller produces versus thermostats is from the coordination of heats and cools from one temperature probe. It is almost universal that growers will tell you that in a greenhouse with thermostats, you will, sooner or later, get heats and cools running at the same time. This can happen when the heat thermostat is located […]

Everywhere Fungicide BASF: Pageant fungicide is labeled for use in nursery, greenhouse and landscape sites. It features a combination of new active ingredient boscalid with pyraclostrobin, giving growers one of the industry’s broadest spectrum foliar fungicides. www.betterplants.com New Plug Tray Blackmore Company: The latest addition to the Blackmore line of plug trays is the 242. Fluted cell walls are extra strong and act as a conduit for providing more oxygen to the root zone. The tray also features an oversized 3â„8 inch diameter drain hole, angled ramp and 5â„8 inch lip for rigidity. www.blackmoreco.com Easy Seeding Seed E-Z Seeder: The E-Z Seeder is a plug popper that takes better care of plugs while taking all the work out of dislodging them. It can be operated by placing the rooted plugs over pegged dislodger, sliding handled rods through the plug tray and placing depressor over rods and pushing down. The E-Z […]

For 50 years, Western Pulp Products Co. has manufactured Premium Molded Fiber Containers made from 100 percent recycled paper in the United States. This year, Western, based in Corvallis, Ore., will introduce a number of innovative new products to address the growing demand for sustainability. “Today’s consumers are looking for products that have a minimal impact on the environment, and can be considered earth-friendly or green,” says Jim Lee, Western’s marketing and sales manager. “We at Western feel that our products not only meet the demand for sustainability, but offer growers, retailers and consumers a better product to grow healthier plants.” Go Green, Don’t Look Back Western’s containers provide for healthier plants because they let roots and soil breathe while insulating from temperature extremes. In all kinds of climates and conditions, Western’s containers look better, last longer and perform better, while helping customers differentiate their product and improve plant quality. […]

Filter Away Orival, Inc.: Starting at 3/4 inch and continuing up to 24 inches, Orival can provide any filtration system from 8 to 12,000 gpm. Orival, Inc. has been providing greenhouse irrigation systems for more than 20 years. Pallet Success Northwest Horticulture: The Pallet Shipper program from Northwest Horticulture is a crush-resistant packaging system that is stacked on pallets, delivering dormant trays strait to growers’ doors. The Pallet Shipper stacking system allows air to circulate through the plants during shipping. Shipping on pallets is also a more cost-effective method compared to boxes and a great option for customers placing small orders. Pallet shipper is available for orders as low as 72 trays. Speed, Muscle & Brains Wadsworth Control Systems: Wadsworth’s new 3 RPM VC 2000 Motor offers unique override protection, which stops the motor if binding or obstruction occurs. Its faster drive powers roof panels, wing vents and roll-up walls […]

Solar-Powered Fertigation/Amiad Filtration: The Amiad Electric Fertilizer Injector (EFI) is compatible with a wide range of fertigation applications. It is programmable to deliver very precise injection rates with 2 to 5 percent accuracy. Easy to calibrate and operate, the EFI can be powered by solar panels feeding 12-volt direct current or by 110 or 220-volt AC power. For more information, call 800-969-4055 or visit www.amiad.com. Precise Injection/Chemilizer: The adjustable, non-electric CP33 injector is ideally suited for fertigation. It offers an unmatched ability to inject virtually any liquid treatment without dilution and is easily adaptable to accommodate products with different injection rates. Precisely inject fertilizers, insecticides, pH controls, algaecides, fungicides, disinfectants and sprout control agents. For more information, call 800-234-7211 or visit www.chemilizer.com. Happy Hanging Baskets/Cherry Creek Systems: The Echo System automated basket irrigation system allows for accurate measurement of water to each basket and allows fertilizer application to be consistently […]

Every year, Carroll Brothers Nursery, Clearwater Fla., uses 18 million gallons of water to irrigate its 10 acres using overhead irrigation. The pricetag on that much water per year has jumped from $4,500 to $18,000 between 1991 and 2007, so owner Richard Carroll has been looking for ways to reduce cost. The goal when the gardenia grower first started searching for water alternatives was a second water source – one that would pump and clean water or one that would collect rainwater. "Either way, it was too expensive for a nurseryman to handle," Carroll says. "Knowing I couldn’t touch either of those, I was looking for a way to save water." Drought and water restrictions can cause a grower to rethink irrigation, but so can research. Looking for an irrigation method that would follow BMP practices, as well as provide consistent irrigation, Carroll Brothers did research comparing drip and overhead […]

Every year, Carroll Brothers Nursery, Clearwater Fla., uses 18 million gallons of water to irrigate its 10 acres using overhead irrigation. The pricetag on that much water per year has jumped from $4,500 to $18,000 between 1991 and 2007, so owner Richard Carroll has been looking for ways to reduce cost. The goal when the gardenia grower first started searching for water alternatives was a second water source–one that would pump and clean water or one that would collect rainwater. “Either way, it was too expensive for a nurseryman to handle,” Carroll says. “Knowing I couldn’t touch either of those, I was looking for a way to save water.” Drought and water restrictions can cause a grower to rethink irrigation, but so can research. Looking for an irrigation method that would follow BMP practices, as well as provide consistent irrigation, Carroll Brothers did research comparing drip and overhead irrigation and […]

Need to keep your plants from overheating? Ludvig Svensson has a solution. Svensson has developed an external screen called OLS White, which reflects light and heat away from plants unlike black shades. OLS White is made with highly reflective white films and does not retain heat during the night. Instead, it provides daytime shade to cool greenhouse temperatures. OLS White also has an open structure that allows air and moisture to pass through easily, and it can be manufactured in 30-percent, 40-percent or 50-percent shading. “OLS White is a great choice for growers simply looking to shade crops and avoid greenhouse overheating,” says Kurt Parbst, president of Svensson’s North and South American subsidiary. “It’s a powerful tool that contributes to a superior growing environment.” For more information on OLS White or Svensson, go to www.svenssonamericas.com.